Cebu and Mandaue city mayors on Wednesday signed a pact to rehabilitate two rivers that connect the two localities to address severe flooding.

Mayors Michael Rama and Jonas Cortes of Cebu and Mandaue, respectively, signed a memorandum of agreement and a pledge of stewardship, committing to implement conservation and rehabilitation measures at the Mahiga and Butuanon rivers, which are common waterways shared by both cities.

During the signing, the mayors administered the pledge of commitment of their respective personnel who will form a working group that will lead the rehabilitation and conservation efforts in the two rivers.

Rama said the Cebu City government is committed to finding solutions to the perennial problem of flooding which could have been coming from the two rivers.

“This is a commitment of the people in Cebu City and Mandaue City to become stewards of the rivers,” Rama said.

The signing ceremony on Wednesday was the culmination of the two-day collaborative river governance forum dubbed “Two Rivers, One Movement”, which was also witnessed by representatives of the public sector, the business community, the academe, and other volunteer groups.

The MOA outlined the commitment of the two localities to work together to solve the worsening flood problem in the downtown and uptown areas here.

The two mayors also agreed to establish a technical working group whose members will meet in November to lay out action plans and proposals for long-term conservation and rehabilitation efforts.

In his speech, Cortes urged the public’s cooperation in finding ways to solve the flooding as it is not only a problem of the government but also of the residents.

“Let us all be counted as one in making our communities a greater, better place for all of us to live in. Let us all be counted as one keeping in mind that an outstanding community starts with you and me,” Cortes said. (PNA)